This invention relates to knives, and, more particularly, to a knife with a lanyard and the structure by which the lanyard is attached to the knife.
A knife generally includes a knife handle and a blade extending from the knife handle at a position remote from the butt end of the knife handle. The blade may be either fixed or foldable into the knife handle. When in service, the knife is grasped by one hand of the user. When not in service, the knife may be carried on the person of the user, either in a pocket or a pouch, or otherwise affixed to the body of the user.
One approach to affixing the knife to the body of the user, either during service or for storage, is a length of a flexible material such as cotton string, leather, or rubber. This flexible material is generally termed a "lanyard". Lanyards are widely used with specialty underwater knives and for many knives intended for more-conventional applications.
The lanyard must be reliably attached to the knife. In conventional practice, the lanyard is either attached directly to the knife handle or to a ring or other structure which is in turn attached to the knife handle. When the lanyard is attached directly to the knife handle, it extends through a hole between the lateral sides of the knife handle.
In either case, the portion of the lanyard away from the knife handle often twists onto itself in a FIG.-8 or other form that makes the use of the lanyard difficult. The ring structure or openings of the ends of the lanyard hole are unsightly for many applications, as they visually interfere with the appearance of the lateral sides of the knife. The appearance of the lateral sides is an important consideration for many utilitarian knife users and also for collectors.
There is a need for an improved approach to the use of lanyards with knives. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.